Creativity Is More Than Art.

I don’t teach creative writing. I teach metacognition: thinking about thoughts. But I bookend my sessions with poetry.

Here’s why:
1. It creates a grounding moment. During the recitation, participants can take a moment to close their eyes and breathe.
2. The poems offer perspective while revealing the universality of the personal themes we explore.
3. It invites a spiritual dimension. (All inner work, including poetry, is spiritual work, in my opinion.)

As Ethan Hawke puts it: “Most people don’t spend a lot of time thinking about poetry… until their father dies, you go to a funeral, you lose a child, somebody breaks your heart, they don’t love you anymore, and all of a sudden you’re desperate for making sense out of this life.”

You do not need to be a writer, critic, or lover of poetry to benefit from this part of the work. Those who initially feel resistance to the poetic element tend to experience a softening over time, and exploring the root of that resistance can offer its own insights.

You don’t need to be creative. But you are. Each thought, word, and action brings something new into the world. Even now, as you read this, you are sculpting a response that may become a comment for all to see. Self-development is a deeply creative act. Once we observe ourselves clearly, we choose whether to continue operating automatically or to act from awareness. That’s where the interior design really begins.

Notice what you create today: The meal you prepare. The song you hum in the shower. The glow you spark in the heart of someone you love.

All of it is creation.

The question’s not whether you are creating, but whether it’s done with intention.